Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Alex Márquez stormed to the 10th pole position in his Moto2 career at MotorLand Aragón today, with Xavi Vierge fighting for the top six in a record-breaking qualifying session.

• Despite heavy rain and thunderstorms overnight, Márquez and Vierge ventured out on track for FP3 this morning using Dunlop’s slick tyres, with the fast and technical 5km track completely dry.
• The unexpected dry conditions allowed Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders the chance to work on rear tyre endurance ahead of tomorrow’s 21-lap race and both kept their places in the vital top 14 to move straight into Q2
• Under blazing sunshine this afternoon, Marquez produced a new all-time lap record of 1:52:225 to take a crucial pole position for round 14.

  Alex Marquez: 1st, 1:52.225, 25 laps, 127 km

• Fifth overall at the end of play yesterday, Márquez was a leading challenger for the top six again in sunny conditions this morning while he worked hard to improve rear tyre endurance.
• Márquez made a blistering start to Q2 and on his second flying lap he scorched to a 1:52.225, which took the all-time lap record from Tito Rabat, who set the previous quickest Moto2 lap of Aragón back in 2015 when he was riding for Marc VDS.
• The sensational speed secured Márquez his fourth pole in the last six races and he’s confident he can race to the fourth podium of his career in Aragón to increase his 26-point advantage over Augusto Fernandez in the standings.

“Taking pole position in Aragón is like a special present”

“Taking pole position here in Aragón is like a special present after all the hard work the whole team put in yesterday and this morning. The drop from the rear tyre at this track looks quite big, so this morning we concentrated a lot on working on used tyres to be ready for the race. I wasn’t riding perfect lines also and I was losing time in some sectors but I feel we made some progress in that area too. The Warm-up will be important tomorrow morning to confirm the good feeling I had with the bike in Q2 but I’m ready to fight. Fernandez maybe has something extra but I know we will be there. I will do my best to keep fighting at the maximum.”

Xavi Vierge: 7th, 1:52.589, 22 laps, 112 km.

• Vierge’s best time of 1:53.030 ensured the number 97 made a superb start to the Saturday schedule and he finished FP3 full of confidence after setting the fifth quickest time.
• He instantly found a quick rhythm in Q2 and his first flying lap in time attack mode was 0.5s faster than his previous best this weekend.
• His lap of 1:52.589 was only 0.009s outside of the top six and after qualifying in the top 10 for the fourth race in a row, Vierge is optimistic of a positive outcome in tomorrow’s race.

“I’m sure I can stay with the top guys and achieve a positive result”

“We made a good step from yesterday and in particular I felt strong with used tyres, so I’m really happy about that. It’s a pity at the end of Q2 I couldn’t be faster because on the second run I made a mistake in the final corner and that cost me a chance to be on the second row. It is going to be a long race but I am sure with a good start I can stay with the top guys and achieve a positive result.”